Three and a half months after the appointment of a QC to look into allegations against the Chief Executive of the volunteer fire fighters association, the investigation has been abandoned.The chief executive of the United Fire Brigades Association, Bill Butzbach, was suspended in August while three allegations of bullying and harassment were to be investigated by Wellington based QC Kristy McDonald.
In a statement the United Fire Brigades Association says despite extensive consultation over the terms of reference, no agreement could be reached with two of the complainants, and therefore the inquiry has been abandoned. Kathryn talks with Tony Sutorius, a senior volunteer firefighter with 28 years experience, who is founder of Vollynet, the largest online community for volunteer firefighters.
And Nine to Noon Executive Producer Clare Sziranyi reports that FENZ's proposed Disputes Resolution Scheme has also been put on hold.